Rush
by eviemae
Summary: When California girl Blair Whitaker finds herself falling for a vampire, her eyes are opened to the supernatural world that goes far beyond her own. OCxOC.
1. Introduction

**Title:** Rush

**Author:** eviemae

**Description: **When California girl Blair Whitaker finds herself falling for a vampire, her eyes are opened to the supernatural world that goes far beyond her own.

_Author's Note: This is an idea I've had for awhile now, but I'm not sure how you readers will sit with it. The story is set in the True Blood world, where vampires have 'come out of the coffin,' but our beloved True Blood characters won't come in until a little later. This is an OCxOC. It's exploring the vampire life outside of the South. I'd love your opinion on it, especially so I know if I should continue with it. This first bit is short, but the other chapters would definitely be longer. Enjoy, and please review!_

**Introduction**

The first thing she felt was the sun on her face.

Blair's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment she was frightened. The chocolate brown carpet, the psychedelic posters that lined the walls, and the retro-style tables and shelves weren't hers. She sat up, startled and confused, in the king-sized bed. Only then was she aware of the warm silkiness of the matching chocolate brown sheets on her naked body. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and ran her hand over the top of the comforter.

The familiar rush of feelings and emotions and images flew through her body and past her eyes. Hands groping and touching. Her dress sliding off her shoulders. Ripping his shirt off and running her hands down his torso. Love and need dripping with animalistic lust. Legs tangled and wrapped around each other. Her sighs. His moans. The painful, but pleasurable wave that ran through her body when he bit her neck. The taste of her blood in his mouth. The silence. His soft murmurs and kisses that lulled her to sleep. His cool arm draped around her and his fingers tracing over her body.

Blair smiled and opened her eyes. She noticed the glass wall to her right for the first time. The house sat on top of a small hill, and all Blair could see was white sands and a never-ending, deep blue ocean. She may have lived by the beach her entire life, but the sight of the ocean never ceased to amaze her and take her breath away.

It was then that she noticed the note on the nightstand next to her.

Blair turned to see if he was still there. He wasn't. She knew he wouldn't be, and that he couldn't be. But she still hoped to wake up and see him lying next to her.

She laid her head back down on the pillow. Her dark blond waves spread out over the pillow and fell on her back and shoulder. She gazed out at the ocean, her blue-grey eyes going hazy as she wished for a cool body against hers instead of warm bed sheets. Her heart ached with loneliness. Blair knew this was what this relationship would be like, but it didn't make the inevitable morning-after any easier. Her mind wandered. . .

How did she end up here? Falling for someone she could never wake up next to? Blair rarely thought about her own past. She was always listening to or seeing everybody- or everything- else's life story, and there was nothing she could do about it. It was her gift on some days; on others, her curse.

She picked up the note on the nightstand and read it silently.

_You looked so beautiful sleeping that I didn't want to wake you. I'll see you tonight._

The note dropped to the floor. Blair curled up under the covers and closed her eyes. The ocean roared in the distance, a gentle lullaby that made her fall deeper and deeper into a dreamless sleep. . .


	2. Four Months Earlier

**Title:**Rush

**Author:** eviemae

**Summary:** When California girl Blair Whitaker finds herself falling for a vampire, her eyes are opened to the supernatural world that goes far beyond her own.

_Author's Note: So no reviews. Sweet. Read and review. That's all._

**Four Months Earlier**

"Blair!"

Her eyes snapped open and her heart stopped. Blair's body tensed, until she heard the voice laugh. She glared at her roommate over the back of the black leather couch. "Jesus, Kayla! Take it down a couple of notches," she groaned. Being loud was one of Kayla Del Signore's many. . .talents.

Kayla raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "I said your name three times, Blair. You were passed the fuck out." She tossed her oversized school bag on the hardwood floor, opened the refrigerator door, and dug through the contents searching for a snack. "God, this feels nice. It's hotter than Satan's dick in here! Aren't you dying right now?"

Blair looked at her cell phone for the time. 4:47 p.m. She had been asleep for almost three hours. On the widescreen television, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni were interrogating some emotionless rapist or murderer, the same thing they had been doing when she fell asleep. The cashmere blanket she had wrapped herself in was making her burn up; it was an unusually hot day in Costa Mesa and Blair hadn't opened any windows to let a breeze in. The southern California humidity and high temperature, plus the closed doors and windows, had the same effect as a sauna. She tossed the blanket on the floor and fanned herself. "Yeah, it's a little warm. Would you open the windows, Kay?" Blair stretched. "How was your test?"

Kayla's head peeked out from behind the refrigerator door. "It was whatever. _But_ I don't give a fuck, 'cause it's the weekend, Blair. And you know what that means?" she asked with a devilish grin.

"You're gonna get wasted and wake up smelling like tequila and sex?" Blair retorted with a smirk.

Her roommate laughed dryly and gave an acrylic-nailed one finger salute. "No. If you had read my text I sent you earlier, we're going clubbing tonight," she quipped before taking a loud crunchy bite out of an apple.

Blair checked her message inbox and- sure enough- was a text message reading, _clubbing 2nite in la! you down?_ "Sorry. I was 'passed the fuck out,' remember? But yeah, sounds good! Are we thinking Le Deux?"

Kayla was quiet as she took a seat at the glass kitchen table and started playing on her iPhone. "Actually. . .Amber and Ren _really _want to go to Eden," she said hesitantly.

Blair's head snapped toward Kayla. Her eyes were nothing more than angry slits and her face was slowly turning her beach-perfect tan red. Her jaw was slightly ajar. ". . .Excuse me? They wanna go _where_?"

Kayla held her hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, Blair! I told them that wasn't the best idea, but they keep on insisting that we go there. Don't shoot the fucking messenger, please!"

"I can't _believe _them. They have the nerve to ask if I wanna go to a_ vampire_ club? How _fucking_ inconsiderate can they be?!"

"Technically, it's not a vampire club. It's vampire-friendly," Kayla interjected.

"_I don't care, Kayla!_ It's a place for them to hang out and pick out their next meal! But, you know what? You guys go have a blast! Go party with those dead fuckers for all I care!" Blair spat, her body visibly shaking. She was trying to not freak out, but the fact that Amber and Ren-whom she had been friends with since middle school- even thought of suggesting going somewhere like that was making her break down. Especially with what she had been going through lately.

A hand rested on her shoulder. "Blair," she heard Kayla say softly, "I'm sorry I said anything. I just wanted you to come with us tonight because you haven't gone out all at the past few weeks. I just want you to start going out again like before and get your mind off what's going on with your mom. But, if you don't wanna go, then we can stay in tonight. We can have margaritas and watch a movie. It's no big deal."

Blair took a deep breath and met with Kayla's concerned dark eyes. "You really want me to go?" she asked bluntly.

Kayla ran a hand through her dark brown locks and shrugged. "I just wanna see you having fun again, B. But I don't want you to go if you're going to be uncomfortable at Eden."

Blair closed her eyes. Few things _really _got under her skin, and at the moment, vampires were one of them. It wasn't that she hated the dead bastards as a whole. It was personal, but anytime she saw one watching a passerby like they were prey. . .it made her skin crawl and her blood boil.

But when she opened her eyes and saw Kayla's eyes basically pleading for her to agree to go, she sighed and shook her head. "Are we drinking beforehand?"

"Amber and Ren are gonna be here at 8:30 with a handle of Smirgnoff and a bottle of Patron. Amber's driving."

"I call the handle. I'm not going in there without a few shots in me."

***

Normally, Blair would be rapping at the top of her lungs with her three closest friends while taking swigs out of the almost empty handle of vodka, especially in Amber's sleek black BMW 6 series convertible and in their clubbing best. Tonight was not one of those nights. All she could do was stare blankly out the window at the lights of Los Angeles passing by. The bass of the music was starting to give her a headache, not pump her up for a night of dancing. The buzz she was starting to feel from the several shots of Smirgnoff wasn't making the gnawing in her stomach go away. Blair was starting to get genuinely terrified for several reasons. She was about to be surrounded by vampires, which never had been and never would be a good thing. More importantly, she wouldn't be able to focus with vampires making her nervous, meaning her abilities were going to go haywire in a packed nightclub. After several weeks of relative peace and quiet, tonight was going to overwhelm her.

Something- or a drunk somebody- bumped her shoulder. Ren was nudging her with the handle. "Finish it off, B!" she yelled over the music, shaking the bottle. Her overdone brown eyes were glossy and her meticulously teased and sprayed hair kept falling in her face.

"Lorenza Perelas, you are one hot mess, you know that?" Blair sighed, pushing the handle away.

Ren pouted, then giggled. "Whatever bitch, you still love me." She took another shot- no, more like a double shot- out of the bottle.

"I'm taking care of Kayla tonight. Sorry Amber, this one's all yours," Blair said loudly and seriously. Amber took her icy blue eyes off the road for a split second to shoot Blair an equally icy look. For the first time that night, Blair smiled as the car pulled into a parking space on the street. They got out of the car and were greeted by a chilly spring breeze. Blair shivered and rubbed her arms for warmth. Her outfit wasn't meant for keeping warm. Last she checked, a light gold v-neck and back bandage dress that hit mid-thigh and nude peep-toe heels weren't the latest trend in the Arctic. But paired with smoky eyes, nude lips, a bright red clutch purse, and a thin black headband in her wavy beach hair, it was perfect L.A. club wear. It wasn't Blair first choice of outfit; she had wanted to go modestly dressed, to avoid unwanted vampire attention, but Kayla all but threatened to burn her with a straightening iron if Blair didn't wear the dress that Kayla thought she looked "so fucking fierce" in. The last thing she wanted to do was piss off a tipsy Italian with a hot object.

They strutted up the sidewalk towards the long line outside the nightclub. Eden was a fairly new establishment: it had opened a year and a half earlier promoting itself as the first openly vampire-friendly bar and nightclub in Los Angeles. The building was huge and a matte black that didn't shine in the sun. Everything on the exterior was black, except for the green neon sign of the club's name in exotic script. Every night, the line was long and filled with giddy women who were excited to meet their first vampires, young men hoping to leave with a female vampire and find out if the myth that vampire sex is the best sex was true, and indifferent vampires who smirked and mocked the curiosity of humans.

Blair made no eye contact with anybody in line or with her friends, breathing deeply to keep her focus and her guard up. It was nights like this that got her anxious: she hadn't honed in her ability enough to be relaxed in a close setting like a nightclub. Just when she had found that peace within herself, something brushed her arm.

A dark child's room. A red-headed girl, no more than eight, curled up in bed. The door opens. A middle-aged man closes the door and sits on the edge of the bed. His hands run down her side. She's awake. Wide blue eyes. His hand goes under the sheet. She whimpers. He shushes her.

Blair jerked and caught eyes with the girl standing by her. Thick mascara and bright red bangs surrounded her bright blue eyes. She shrugged and gave a half-hearted smile. "Sorry," she muttered.

Blair gave a sad smile back. "No, I'm sorry."

"Blair! C'mon!" Kayla cheered, pulling her toward the door. The line had moved; they were at the front.

The bouncer looked her up and down. "I.D. please." Blair pulled out her fake I.D. and gave it to him. She held her breath. It hadn't failed her yet, but it still made her nervous as hell every time she used it. He nodded and handed it back, moving out of her way.

She followed behind her friends into the lion's den that awaited.


	3. The First Taste

**Title:** Rush

**Author:** eviemae

**Description: **When California girl Blair Whitaker finds herself falling for a vampire, her eyes are opened to the supernatural world that goes far beyond her own.

_Author's Note: Chapter three. I'm going to try to get through all this background as quickly as I can without sacrificing quality, so I can get to what you guys really want: Sookie, Bill, Eric, etc. Read and review. That's all!_

**The First Taste**

12:11 p.m.

It had been an hour and a half since they had arrived at Eden, and Blair was still as nervous as she had been when they first walked into the nightclub. She finished her Screwdriver as she watched the crowded dance floor from the booth she'd been sitting in. The black velvet upholstery was soft, but making her back a little sweaty. She contemplated getting another drink or searching for Kayla, Amber, and Ren, who had run towards the dance floor the second they walked in. Those thoughts disappeared when she looked at the writhing crowd on the dance floor and the swarm of people and vampires around and at the bar. Just the sight of so many people who could touch her was making her anxious.

From the corner of her eye, Blair saw somebody approaching her table. He was very masculine, with a strong jaw and big build. His skin was ridiculously tan with brown eyes, over-gelled blonde hair, and a too-white smile. The collar of his white dress shirt was popped and he wore a puka shell necklace.

_Real classy._

He leaned towards her. "I couldn't help but notice you sitting here by yourself, gorgeous. Maybe I could buy you a drink and keep you company? Or ask you to dance?" he said slyly and with a wink.

Blair smirked and shook her head. "No, thank you," she said before playing on her phone. He wasn't the first to ask her that night.

"Oh c'mon, it'll be my treat." He reached out to take her hand.

Blair turned away quickly and stared icily at him. "I. Said. No. Thanks," she snapped with a polite smile. He stopped, a little flustered, then frowned and walked off, mumbling something along the lines of "Fuckin' hardass bitch" under his breath. Mentally flipping him off, Blair's attention was back on her phone. But she still felt like somebody was watching her. . .

Making sure she wasn't just being paranoid, she scanned the nightclub. Her eyes swept past groups of girls chatting over cocktails and guys working up the nerve to talk to said women when she met eyes with someone.

He was several booths away, in a party of individuals she assumed were vampires due to the excess of black leather and dark makeup. A man with long dark hair wore eyeliner and a young woman in a leather bustier top and sky-high black coif had blood red lips and smoky eyes. The stranger wore neither, only a plain black v-neck shirt. His skin was flawlessly white, to the point that it seemed to glow when the club's shifting lights hit him. Shaggy auburn hair was swept out of his devastatingly handsome face, revealing a slight cleft chin, straight nose, and defined jaw. Although she couldn't tell what color exactly they were, his eyes looked green from far away. He watched her with intensity, seeming intrigued.

It was after a few moments that Blair realized she had been staring at him and looked back down at her phone. Her eyes darted up to watch him, and her heart froze when she saw him whisper something to his colleagues, then excuse himself, stand up, and walk in her direction.

_No no no don't come over here please but shit he's hot but he's a vampire look at your phone Blair don't pay attention to him pretend you didn't see him shit shit shit SHIT-_

"Excuse me, miss."

Blair stopped breathing. His voice was a high baritone, but smooth and warm. It was alluring, strangely relaxing, but her guard was still on high alert. She reluctantly looked up.

She wished she hadn't. His eyes weren't green. They were a captivating color of bright hazel. He gave a small smile and knelt down beside her. His eyes stayed on her, and there was a look of amusement on his face. Blair didn't feel any warmth from his body; in fact, he was cool. _Very_ cool.

"I hope you don't mind me asking this. I couldn't help but notice that you have been sitting at this booth by yourself since, oh say. . ." He paused, looking down and seeming to calculate the amount of time. "About an hour and a half ago. I also noticed that in that hour and a half, four guys have come up to you and- I'm assuming- have offered to buy you a drink, dance, or have asked you for your number. Judging by the disappointed looks on their faces, I take it you declined all those offers." He cocked his head and he furrowed his brow, though his eyes were still laughing. "So, what I'm wondering is. . .why?"

Blair was still fixated on his eyes, and it took all her willpower to tear her gaze away and look at her phone to appear not interested. "I didn't come here looking to meet a guy," she said calmly. She locked eyes with him. "Or a vampire."

He smiled a slightly crooked smile with a set of straight white teeth. "Am I that obvious?" he laughed.

"The pale complexion is a dead giveaway, no pun intended. Though, in terms of your attire, you blend in quite well. Your party, however. . ." Blair's sentence trailed off and her eyes darted over to the vampires who were conspicuously staring at them.

He looked at them, shot them a look that could kill if they weren't dead already, and turned back to her. _Those eyes._ He shrugged. "They're very much against the mainstreaming movement." He looked Blair up and down. "So if you didn't come to a nightclub looking to meet a guy _or a vampire_, why are you here then?"

She wasn't sure if it was out of nerves or true annoyance, but Blair frowned. "I was guilt-tripped into coming. Look, if you're gonna ask if you can buy me a drink, or ask if I wanna dance, or- God forbid- ask for my number, just do it now so I can say no and move on with my night," Blair huffed.

He looked at her calmly, still smiling. "I'm not going to ask you for your number or to dance. I would be more than happy to buy you a drink, if you'd like. All I'm going to ask you for is your name."

Blair opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She had no problem with turning guys down, but he was different. This guy was a challenge. And Blair liked challenges, alive or dead. "Blair."

"Blair. That's a pretty name. Is there a last name to go with it?"

She sighed. "Whitaker."

"Well, Blair Whitaker, it is certainly a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand. "Jack Hart."

She eyed his hand warily. She forced a smile and a little wave. "Nice to meet you, Jack. Sorry, I. . . I don't do handshakes," she told him. It sounded believable enough.

He dropped his hand. "Oh." He looked down at the table and pointed at Blair's glass. "I see your glass is empty. What were you drinking?" Jack asked.

Blair glanced at her glass, then back at him. "Screwdriver," she replied. What was he getting at?

Jack picked up the glass. "A woman's glass should never be empty. I'm buying your drink. And no, you're not obligated to talk to me after I do," he remarked, flashing that smile and winking.

"No, you're not."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I am," he reiterated, "And you're not convincing me otherwise."

She was speechless. She had no idea what his plan was, but it was throwing her off and that was scaring her. This guy- this _vampire_- couldn't just be buying her a drink with no expectations, could he? Not in this city.

"Blair?" She had spaced out for a moment. He was clearly amused at her nervousness. "Aren't you coming with me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Coming with you?"

He chuckled. "Coming with me to the bar?"

Blair watched the loud, rambunctious crowd that surrounded the bar and her heart started speeding up. Her mind was so preoccupied with Jack, she would not be able to focus herself and block all those people out. She cleared her throat. "Um, I'm really claustrophobic and I hate big crowds, so I think I'm gonna sit this one out."

"Don't worry, Blair. It'll be okay, I promise," he chuckled. Jack took her hand before she could object.

An endless grass field. It was mid-day. Bright blue sky overhead. Wildflowers everywhere. A soft whispering breeze. Discarded moccasins with red beading. The vision relaxed her, almost putting her at peace.

Jack was gently pulling her toward the bar. She was confused. She wanted to ask him what that moment meant to him. Right as she opened her mouth, the music switched to an electro-pop hit. Cheers and screams echoed throughout the club, and the patrons around the bar turned and started running for the dance floor, drinks in hand. Suddenly, she was surrounded on all sides.

The visions hit her like a brick wall. One right after the other. A woman touching her abortion scar. A young man watching his teammate change, and liking it. A man lying in bed with a woman, his wedding band glowing in the dim light. A young woman passed out on a bathroom floor, her forearms and wrists pouring blood that started to pool beneath her. All their secrets, all those moments that changed their lives, she was seeing them all flash before her eyes. She couldn't even feel Jack tugging at her hand.

"Blair?" His voice echoed somewhere amongst the visions. "Blair, are you okay? Hey, Blair!" He touched her arm-

"_Don't touch me!" _she screeched, pulling away from him. Her vision cleared to see Jack staring at her with concern and confusion. Her heart was about to burst out of her chest. She couldn't breathe: it was labored and ragged and her body felt like every atom and fiber was about to explode. She frantically looked around for an escape, feeling like a trapped animal. A hallway. It had to lead to somewhere. In her heels, she bolted toward and down it. People whizzed by her. All she could hear was her breathing and her heart pounding in her ears.

The back exit door exploded open. Cold air slapped her in the face and a deep breath of it burned her throat and her lungs. She was in the side alley of Eden. Farther down near the dumpsters, a couple guys were taking a smoke break. Blair placed a hand over her heart. It was beating rapidly. _Deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth._ Her heartbeat wasn't slowing down. Her mind went back to the vision she saw when Jack touched her. The field, the flowers, the sun and the wind. She closed her eyes and imagined the sun bathing her skin and the breeze against her cheek. The smell of dirt and grass and flowers and nature. Her heart started to slow down. She opened her eyes: nobody's vision had ever calmed her down before. She wanted to know what that field and those flowers meant to him. But after what had just happened, she was terrified of going back inside. She started going through her phonebook on her cell: she was done. All she wanted to do was find somebody willing to drive to L.A. to pick her up and take her home, crawl into bed, and forget tonight had ever happened.

"Well, look who it is. Ice Bitch herself."

She looked up. Her earlier suitor has sauntering towards her, dumping his cigarette on the ground and leering at her. She said nothing and went back to what she was doing.

"I saw you talking to that fanger in there, baby. Were you gonna let him buy you a drink, huh? Let the dead man take you home and fuck you?" he spat. She glanced at him. She bit her tongue and went back to her phone. A hand grabbed her arm and violently yanked her. "Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you, bitch!"

Blair slapped his hand away. "Fuck off," she growled.

His other hand tightly held her face, forcing her to look at him. A blonde boy sitting on an adult man's lap. The man's little smile. Wrapping his hands around the boy's waist. "You know, that pretty little mouth of yours you keep running could be doing something a lot more useful," he snickered. He pressed her back against the wall and pushed his jean-clad hips into hers.

She sneered at him. "Get your hands off me. Or are you gonna run your hands all over me like _he _did to you?" Blair hissed. If she couldn't overpower him physically, she was going to fuck with his head.

His eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "How the hell- you fucking _cunt_!" he screamed. The world went white and blazing hot pain seared through her skull as he rammed her head into the wall. A fist connected with her jaw, bringing her back to the alley. She fell, her head hitting the wall again on the way down. Tears blurred her vision, but what Blair could make out was her suitor's black leather foot swinging back to kick her-

Then he was gone. In the blink of an eye. She couldn't lift her heavy head to see, and everything was spinning. There were voices.

"-Ever touch her or come near her again, I won't hesitate to hunt you down-" _That voice that voice who is that it sounds so familiar so warm is it him is it my head oh god am I gonna die is he gonna kill him oh god oh god-_

"-fuckin' freak! Don't bite me!"

"I don't bite trash. Get the fuck out of here. _Now._" The sound of shoes hitting the pavement, then silence.

Everything was going blurry and her eyelids drooped from the pain. A piece of hair falling over her shoulder was stained red. Something cool touched her face- Death? She forced her eyes open. It was him. His pale face was glowing, and his eyes were still as bright as they were before. She saw the fangs. Long, pointed, sharp, glittering white. An angel of Death. Her eyes widened in fear. She tried to scream for help, but the pain paralyzed her. All that came out was a hiss of air.

He shook his head and gently placed a finger over her mouth. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise," he whispered softly before tenderly tracing her swelling jaw.

_I promise I promise I promise_

Black.

***

Her mouth was warm. Flowing with warmth. Sweetness. Like wine. She drank and drank.

"Good girl."

His voice. For a moment, she saw his face looking down at her, a small smile on his lips, the fangs glittering. The pain was easing, slowing becoming a warm numbness. As soon as the wine in her mouth had come, it was gone.

"That's good." A cool hand smoothing her hair.

She opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was rough. "The. . . field."

Black.


End file.
